Small (˜1 mm diameter) fiber optic cable must connect large repeater nodes that are positioned deep, and at great distances from one another. The interconnecting fiber optic cable and nodes are purposely positioned deep in a region that has little or no biologic activity (e.g. fishbite) that would be harmful to the small cable. The system must hover at that depth while the network is in operation. A major risk to the system is damage to the fiber optic cable during deployment. Hazards may include loads induced at connection points to nodes, loads induced while deploying from the surface craft and then through the air-sea interface, and/or damage during decent from the surface to the final operating depth, e.g. from fishbite and other physical hazards.
Although fiber optic cables are one concern, the described invention is not limited to fiber optic cable.